Brave Heart, Clara
by sherlockedbyben
Summary: There's a shift in time and Clara ends up in the timestream of the fifth Doctor. Between trying to stop the Master from gaining control of Galifrey and getting Clara back home, romance happens between the Timelord and Clara. But at the end of it all, does Clara really want to leave him and go back home? 5/clara
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I decided to write a fanfic with a 5/clara pairing because idk I thought it'd be cute :) Hope you like it!**

Clara bounded through the waiting Tardis doors with a spring in her step. She couldn't help but smile as she entered the control room.

"Happy Wednesday, Doc," she called to the Doctor, who was currently pointing some foriegn object at the console.

"Clara!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms wide in an enthusiastic gesture. She had to laugh. She always looked forward to their Wednesday adventures. She felt a rush of affection for her best friend and ran over to embrace him in a hug, nearly causing the alien to topple over. He caught himself with a chuckle and hugged her back briefly.

"So, Miss Oswald, where to today? I was thinking we could go back in time, you know, Ancient Rome, Greece, hey maybe even another planet," the Doctor began hopping briskly around the console. "Hey! We could go to the opening day of Disneyland!"

Clara laughed at the sudden excitement shown on the Timelord's face. He was such a child sometimes. She really didn't mind where they went, they nearly always found something interesting to do.

"Take your pick, Doctor. I'm in the mood for surprises," she said with a cheeky grin.

The Doctor gave the Tardis an affectionate pat and began to pull levers and push buttons energetically. Clara was already holding onto part of the ship for support. She trusted the Doctor with her life, but his driving skills were another story.

She gave out a small surprised cry when she was suddenly thrown off balance and onto the floor. She frowned and cursed inwardly, trying to grab onto the wall but failing to do so as the ship gave another lurch. Hey, she knew the Tardis didn't exactly like her, but this was totally mean.

"Alright, Oswald?" She heard the Doctor call out in a slightly frantic voice from somewhere out of her line of sight.

"Yeah, yeah perfectly alright," she somewhat grumbled, dragging herself up off the ground while she had the chance. This flipping phonebox! She scowled as she wrapped her arms more securely around one of the beams. "You're ship really doesn't like me," she said resentfully. She wasn't one for squealing but couldn't help doing so as the tardis lurched again. "Doctor!" she yelled, not knowing whether to blame him or the ship.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! Er, technical difficulties."

Clara felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards into an amused smile at the sight of the silly alien trying to fix his bowtie and pilot his ship at the same time. I really do have a knack for picking weirdly wonderful friends, she thought to herself.

"Oi, Chinboy, you're meant to be a genius, fix your difficulties and-" she let out a yell, feeling a sense of dread in her stomach as she lost her grip on the beam and ended up flying across the Tardis. Something's wrong, she realised. This is not good...

"Doctor, what's going on!" She managed to yell over the sound of static and sparks now emitting from the console. She gasped, trying to catch her breath. She stumbled back across the room again, briefly fantisising about what it would be like to kick that stupid console repeatedly.

The Doctor let out a yell and she looked over to him frantically. She tried to make her way over to him but wasn't sure if she should. She didn't want to get in the way and make the whole thing worse. The Tardis walls began to throb with a faint golden glow.

"Doc-" She fell to the ground again. The bruises she would have after this! She glanced around at the glow, which seemed to be moving towards her. She felt trapped by fear. What was happening?

"Oh no no no NO!" The Doctor started spewing out what was clearly a string of profanities in Gallifreyan. "Something's shifted, something's changing. No, this should _not_ be happening!"

Her expression of anger quickly turned to panic and Clara felt her heart sink rapidly. Golden light began to circle around her, threatening to engulf her. Her chest constricted in fear. Ok, now she was scared. She was really scared. She tried to call out for the Doctor but he was already struggling to make his way over to her, talking fast.

"Clara listen to me. This is hard to explain and there's not much time but this is a, what's happening this, it's, it's what you'd call a time-merge I suppose-"

"I don't care what it is! Just get me out of it Doctor!" Clara tried to reach out for him. She wanted to know where she was going, why this was happening to her, why, why why-

"Hold on, Clara! Stay with me!" The Doctor tried to grab her hand but was thrown back by the force of whatever was surrounding her. "Clara, I'm sorry, I.. I don't know exactly where you're going! If this takes you, you'll end up somewhere in one of my timestreams. Well you more than likely will but-"

He was just going to let it take her?! No, no no, this was not happening. Clara liked to know where she was going and why, she didn't like this unknown thing, especially when the Doctor was looking so worried and- Was that fear on his face?

"Doctor, please!" she cried, one final attempt to reach him, her sanctuary.

"Don't worry, Clara, I'll find you!" The Doctor made another leap towards her, but it was too late. She could feel herself fading. She took one last look at the Doctor's panic stricken face and squeezed her eyes tight shut just as she felt the force of a huge bang that shook the entire Tardis.

She was lying on the metal ground of the Tardis. Her eyes were still squeezed tightly shut, her body curled up in a tiny ball, but she felt solid again. She reached out a hand timidly. Yep, definitely the familiar floor of the Tardis. She'd felt it enough times.

Her sense of relief was short-lived. If she was still in the tardis, where was the Doctor? Why wasn't he rushing over to her to make sure she was alright? Cautiously, she opened her eyes. She blinked. She blinked again. She sat up too fast and winced as the room spun for a second. But when it came back into focus, it was just as she'd thought. She slowly stood up and gaped at the scene surrounding her, confusion flooding through her already fuzzy brain. Hey, she'd had one heck of a morning. She was definitely in the Tardis, she realised. But it was not _her_ Tardis. Not the one she knew. This one was slightly more basic and old fashioned. The theme was very white, white walls with strange circular structures in them, white console.. It dawned on her that she must be in one of the Doctor's past or future selves timestreams. She suddenly felt apprehensive. What was she supposed to do here? What if she was stuck here?

She suddenly felt very alone. This was the Tardis, so where was the Doctor? She walked slowly over to the control panel in the middle of the room and brushed a hand lightly over the controls. Maybe this version of the Tardis wouldn't hate her as much, she thought with a small smile. She jumped at the sound of a door opening and whipped around to face the unfamiliar man who had just walked in.

The man froze when he saw Clara, a look of such confusion on his face that she would have smiled in amusement if she hadn't been so confused herself.

"Oh, hello," He exclaimed, looking somewhat perplexed. He scratched his head in confusion and glanced around the room quickly, as if to check if there were anymore strangers hidden there. He turned his gaze back to Clara.

"Well... It usually takes more persuasion to get people into my Tardis, you know with it looking like a small blue phonebox and all.." He paused, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "But, er, I always say it's good to be different I suppose."

Clara realised her mouth had been slightly open and closed it quickly. _His_ Tardis? So that meant that this man.. Was the Doctor. She really needed a lie down.

"Oh, um, are you alright?" The stranger rushed over to her side and caught her just as she began to sink to the ground. Oh, she hadn't realised she was falling. Again, she decided she couldn't really be blamed, after all she had had a really stressful morning.

She looked at the man properly for the first time. He was quite handsome, with light blond hair and dressed a bit like a cricket player. Very English, she mused. Judging by the old fashioned way he was dressed, she guess that he must be one of the Doctor's past regenerations. And wait-

"Is that.. A vegetable on your jacket?"

The man frowned defensively. "Celery, actually. You never know when you might need one."

Clara found herself smiling. She decided to ask the question she already knew the answer to.

"Are you the doctor?"

"Yes. But I'm afraid I don't think I know you," The Doctor's eyebrows knitted together again in confusion. She couldn't blame him, she had just appeared out of nowhere in his Tardis after all. He still had a light hold on her, she supposed to make sure she wouldn't fall again. She wasn't sure she even trusted herself not to topple over yet. A lot had happened in such a short space of time and she felt hopelessly confused. She was quite enjoying the feel of his arms steadying her though so she couldn't say she minded. He really was quite good looking. When had she started thinking of him as quite good looking? His eyes were so blue. She found herself getting lost in them, like beautiful blue pools filled with mystery and secrets and-

She snapped out of her reverie upon hearing the Doctor clear his throat expectantly. Oh God she was blushing she realised, as she felt the heat creep up to her face and spread across her cheeks. How long had she been staring at him for? She had forgotten that he was waiting for an answer.

"Clara, Clara Oswald." She gave him a smile, attempting to redeem herself and trying not to draw attention to the fact that her cheeks were probably bright red and burning.

The Doctor cracked a grin and released her form his gentle hold. She felt slightly disappointed. His embrace had been comforting, and comfort was something she needed right now. His smile was cheeky and contagious though and she soon found her smile widening to grin back at him.

"So, Clara Oswald. How in the name of Rassilon did you get on my ship?"

"It's a long story," she said truthfully.

The Doctor grinned again and threw his arms wide in an all too familiar enthusiastic gesture. "I'm a Timelord, I've got time."

**So there's the first chapter! R&R and let me know if I should continue!**


	2. Chapter 2

**aaaay it's chapter 2! R&R to let me know what you think, I love the feedback! :D**

In the short time Clara had known this Doctor, she soon found out that he was very, _very_ talkative. As he guided her around the ship he didn't stop talking animatedly about various things, from the last aliens he had fought to cricket, all in a short space of time. She couldn't say she minded, she quite liked the sound of his voice and he was interesting. She found herself laughing along and joining in the conversation. She felt.. happy. Yes, despite her current predicament, what with being trapped in a different time for some unknown reason and that, she felt happy. The ended up in the Tardis kitchen, well Clara supposed it was the kitchen. This ship was so familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. She had to admit, she thought she preferred this one to the last, she mused as she gazed around the room. A bit bland, but simple wasn't always a bad thing. She liked the simplicity of it. A cup of steaming hot tea was placed in front of her. It reminded her so much of home that she almost had to fight back tears. No, she was ok. She was with the Doctor... Well, in a way.

The Doctor smiled at her reassuringly as he handed her her tea.

"There you go, a noxious infusion of oriental leaves containing a high percentage of toxic acid... Or a suppose you could call it tea."

Clara giggled in spite of herself. "Well I've never heard tea described so beautifully before."

"Ah, you're human then if you're familiar with tea."

Clara raised an eyebrow. How many aliens looked like humans apart from Timelord's? It suddenly dawned on her that there was a lot more to the universe then she had known, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Well, human was my first guess, but you could have been a number of things I suppose, Trakenite, Trion.." The Doctor trailed off on a sad note, seemingly lost in thought. Clara didn't want to pry but there was something that had been on her mind for a while now. Something was missing.

"Doctor.." she began, "Don't you usually have.. companions travelling with you? I mean, there's no one here but the two of us." She bit her lip nervously, wondering if she should have asked that. It really was none of her business but she was curious.

The Doctor was wearing a sad smile on his face. "Yes.. Well, everyone leaves at some point or another."

"But why would you want to leave? You could go anywhere in time and space with an amazing man, go on so many adventures, who would want to give it all up?!" She blurted out before thinking. She fought the urge to bite her lip again. This was clearly a touchy subject for the Timelord. "Sorry, sorry, I'll shut up now." She sipped her tea quickly.

"It's ok. They just.. Didn't enjoy it anymore," The Doctor replied wistfully. "Anyway, old news!" He was smiling again, although the smile was hiding the pain he clearly felt inside. Clara wished she hadn't brought it up. "So where we we.. Ah yes! Who exactly are you?"

The Doctor sat down across from her, hand propping up his chin as he gazed at her attentively. Clara sighed with a small smile. She paused in thought for a second, sipping her tea. She wasn't sure how much she should tell this earlier version of the doctor. What if she screwed up some timey wimey thing or something? She decided she would just tell him the truth, it couldn't hurt and it wasn't her bloody fault she was here anyway. She felt a brief surge of annoyance for the Tardis again. She looked up to meet the Doctor's curious gaze once again. His beautiful blue eyes...

"Um, well, where to start," She began with a nervous chuckle. "I'm from London, I'm a future companion of your eleventh self."

She paused nervously as the Doctor's eyes widened slightly. He gave her an encouraging nod to go on.

"I.. Well we were in the Tardis, about to go somewhere, I don't even know where to be honest, he.. you," She corrected herself quickly, "Well you had something planned. But something went wrong," She trailed off. What had even happened? She didn't even know. She didn't even know why she was here, why _her_ of all people, when she would get home, _if _she would get home.. What if she never saw her family again? Or her Doctor? Or.. She hadn't noticed she was crying until the Doctor was by her side, gently wiping a tear from her cheek with one hand and holding her hand with the other in a comforting gesture.

"It's ok," He murmured, giving her hand a small squeeze. Clara swallowed. She hadn't meant to cry, she almost never cried. She always tried to be strong. It just.. In that moment it just got too much for her. She found herself leaning her head against the Doctor's shoulder and leaning in close to him before she even realised what she was doing. She relaxed when she felt the Doctor's strong arms wrap around her comfortingly and she felt safe. She felt so content she smiled despite her tears. After a few minutes the Doctor pulled back to look at her and stroked her cheek softly, wiping away the few remaining tears. Clara's heart gave a little leap for some reason she didn't understand and began beating unnaturally fast. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm sorry, it's just I don't even understand what happened and.." She trailed off, not knowing how to explain it. The Doctor seemed to understand though.

"Brave heart, Clara," He said softly, smiling back at her. He pushed the tea towards her again and she took it gratefully.

"Sorry, I'm just so confused about how I got here.. The Tardis was going out of control and there was a golden glow and the Doctor, he, you," She was going to have to get used to this, "Said something about a bloody time-merge or something... Would you mind me asking, which regeneration are you?"

"Fifth," The Doctor said with another trademark grin. "You've come a very long way if you knew my eleventh self, Clara," He mused thoughtfully. "I wonder why you're here."

Fifth? The fifth Doctor. This was hundreds of years in the Doctor's past. She wasn't sure why she was here, but she might as well get over herself and make the most of what she had. At least she was alive and pretty much safe.

"So what's the plan, Doc?" She asked, setting her finished cup of tea down. The Doctor sprung up from his sitting position and held his hand out to her.

"Let's see what the Tardis thinks, that's what I usually do, leave it all to her, what's the worst that could happen!" He exclaimed and Clara took his hand and followed him back to the control room at a quick pace. He released his hold on her hand to fiddle with the controls of the machine.

He looked at Clara. "My Tardis doesn't like you."

"No surprises there," She chuckled. "I don't suppose you'd like it if I kicked the console would you? We don't really get on, me and your ship." She folded her arms and smirked.

"Bad idea, Miss Oswald, I kicked her once and was locked out of the Tardis for three days. When I came back in she'd hidden all my things and rearranged the rooms."

Clara laughed. The Tardis had spirit, she'd give her that. She gave the console an appreciative pat and the Doctor frowned at her.

"Laughing at my misfortunes..." He shook his head in mock disaproval. "Where are your manners, Ozzy!"

"Oi, watch it Spaceman!" She laughed, their banter making her feel a whole lot better. There was a sudden bump and she had to catch onto one of the circular things on the wall to keep her balance. Not this again.

"Oi, watch the circley things! They're important.. Not exactly sure what for, but they must have a purpose," The Doctor scolded her playfully. "We've landed!"

He bounded to the doors and flung them open. His face fell.

"Oh dear," He muttered, confusion and another negative emotion playing across his features.

"What is it Doctor?" Clara asked, hurrying over to his side and looking outside the door.

"We shouldn't be here.." He muttered again. Clara didn't know if he was mumbling more to himself or her, but she had to agree with him. Wherever they were, it did not look inviting. Barren, rocky, unwelcoming land covered with a hazy mist was what awaited them.

"Where are we, Doctor?" She whispered, suddenly feeling very cold and wishing she'd brought something warmer.

"We seem to be on Gallifrey.. In the Death Zone."

**So there's another update! :D Hope you're liking the story so far guys, I'm enjoying writing it! Review to let me know what you think, I love hearing from you guys :D x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow I'm getting addicted to writing this fanfic :D Realised I made a few spelling mistakes and typos in the last couple of chapters so fixed them :) Third chapter in two days aaaay! Hope you guys are enjoying it, I love getting the reviews so thanks for them :) Keep reviewing it makes my day!**

Clara's mind reeled. The Death Zone. On Gallifrey. Wait, Gallifrey? It dawned on her that this must be before The Great Time War, before the Doctor's home was destroyed, before his people were killed.

She looked at the Doctor's youthful face and felt a pang in her heart at the idea of what he was going to have to go through. She desperately wished it didn't have to happen. She decided that this was one thing she was going to have to keep from this Doctor, for now at least. She somehow knew that the other Doctor, the eleventh regeneration of him, wouldn't want her telling this version of himself about that particualr war. She could almost imagine him lecturing her on the 'timey wimey disastors you could cause, Clara!' Whether Gallifrey was timelocked, lost or destroyed, she couldn't mention it to the fifth Doctor. Not right now anyway. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and reached out for the Doctor's hand out of habit and a need to feel some form of safety.

"What is this place, Doctor?" she asked, feeling a pleasant warth spread through her as his hand closed around hers. "What are we doing here?"

"Well," The Doctor stepped outside the santuary of the tardis, pulling a reluctant Clara with him. "The Tardis brought us here for some reason.. I'm not sure why but I'm fairly certain it wasn't an accident."

She could swear she heard him mutter, "at least for once she could control where she was going," under his breath and she grinned.

"So.. The plan is to go out and explore this place even though we don't know why we're here and it could be dangerous, right?" there was a smile in her voice.

"The plan, my dear Clara, is that there is no plan but we go out and explore this dangerous place anyway."

The Doctor squeezed her hand and dragged her away from the Tardis and onto a rocky path not far from them. They engaged in conversation, looking around themselves to check for signs of danger every now and then. The Doctor had informed her that this place was more then dangerous, "hence why we call it 'The Death Zone,' Clara" and that all kinds of threats lurked there. She knew he was slightly worried about why they were here, although he didn't admit it. They learned a lot about each other as they walked, he even opened up about his past companions, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough, although they changed from that subject fairly quickly. Clara understood, she knew that the Doctor always felt guilty about putting his companions in danger, and it hurt when they left him, even if it was for the best.

"So the eleventh version of me wears bowties then? How strange."

Clara eyed his celery and he glared at her defensively although they both ended up laughing. Clara was beginning to think that maybe the Tardis had just brought them here for no particular reason, maybe it was going to be alright. Nothing bad had happened so far, perhaps there was nothing to worry about and they could just go back to the Tardis instead of wandering around here aimlessly. She was about to suggest just that when the Doctor suddenly dropped her hand and clutched his chest, his face contorting in pain. He let out a cry.

"Doctor!" Clara yelled, rushing over to him, worry filling her. "What is it? What's wrong!"

"I'm.. I'm fine," He gasped, clearly _not_ fine. "It will pass."

"Doctor, this is not _fine_," Clara said fearfully. "You tell me exactly what is wrong right now so I can help you!" she said in her most demanding tone.

The pain seemed to have eased for the moment like the Doctor had said it would. He took deep breaths to recover and Clara put her hand on his arm, not quite sure what to do.

The Doctor smiled at her. "See? Fine, Ozzy. Told yo-"

He gasped again as another wave of pain washed over him and sank to the ground.

"This. Is. Not. Good."

"Praise the Lord, you've finally seen sense!" Clara cried. "Doctor what's happening? How can I help you?!"

She felt unbearably helpless as she watched his handsome face scrunch up with pain, clutching his chest, his breath coming in short gasps. He groaned and she couldn't bear seeing him in pain. She had to do something. She put a hand on either side of his face and made him look at her through his eyes, half shut with pain.

"Doctor, what will I do!"

"I need... The Tardis... Need to get back to the Tardis." He let out a moan of pain as she tried to get him to stand. It was no use, he was in no fit state to walk.

She looked around franctically, willing the Tardis to materialise out of nowhere. "Come on, old girl, I know you don't like me but you love him, please help him!" she willed silently.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" she crouched down beside him again. His pain seemed to be letting up slightly, or he at least seemed to be fighting it.

He said something that sounded suspiciously like a swear word in a foreign language, more than likely Gallifreyan, and tried to stand up. Clara rushed to his side to steady him.

"No.. This shouldn't be happening. It's like before," He muttered more to himself than to her. She looked at him questioningly.

"Cosmic angst." He stated as if that explained it. She raised an eyebrow at him. "As if I'd.. lost something." Clara still felt hopelessly confused and it must have shown on her face because the Doctor continued trying to clarify further.

"Something important. And by important, I mean myself."

"Doctor, this isn't the time for deep discussions about finding out who you are as a person and discovering the meaning of life."

"No, I mean literally! This kind of thing.. It's happened before," He winced again. She frowned. She hated seeing him in pain like this, and she was unbearably confused.

"Come on, we have to find the Tardis, I'll explain more on the way."

They stumbled back more or less the way they had come, the Doctor half walking-half being supported by Clara, who was finding out with disgruntled realisation that Timelord's were particularly heavy.

"You said this kind of thing has happened before? Is this linked to why we're here in this Death Zone thingy?"

"I believe so. The last time I was here, it was like this, only then I had my Tardis." He slowed down, clutching his chest again and suddenly looking very faint. "Death Zone thingy," he scoffed weakly with a frail amused smile.

"No, no no no no! You are not passing out on me Doctor!"

He gave her a weak smile, which didn't reassure her in the slightest. "Come on, tell me more about what happened the last time. What did you mean, you 'lost' yourself?"

"Well," he wheezed, "The last time, each of my past selves including myself were sent here, taken out of time by an evil Timelord, who also happened to be the president of Gallifrey by the way," he gave a small smirk. "My entire existence was in danger of being wiped out. But there's no fear of it being him this time. Actually, I have to say this was altogether unexpected, I haven't broken that many rules in a while, I thought nobody would have any ill will towards me but you know-" He gave a sharp cry and his hand flew to his chest again.

Clara gave him a worried look.

"Don't worry, Clara," he smiled, "It'll be fine, you know me, I wouldn't let our first adventure together end in devestation, would I?" He gave a weak grin and fell to the ground, unconcious.

Clara let out a cry. "Doctor!" she dropped down to the ground beside him. He was unconcious. She put her hands on either side of his chest. Two hearts, both still working perfectly. His body was working alright, it just seemed that this "cosmic angst" or whatever he'd called it was draining him.

"Doctor.." she whispered helplessly. "Please wake up." She felt ashamed at the few traitor tears that fell and was almost glad he couldn't see them. She'd already cried in front of him once today, she didn't want him thinking all she ever did was cry. She couldn't help but let the tears fall though as she looked at him lying there unconcious. She hated seeing him in pain. The man who had made her laugh, made her feel happy, and now he was lying unconcious in a bloody death zone and she didn't know what to do to help him.

"Where is that bloody Tardis!" she cried. This gave her yet another reason to hold a grudging hate against the ship, although she thought she was growing to like the fifth Doctor's one. She took deep breaths. No, she would_ not_ panic, the Doctor wouldn't want that. She would keep calm and think of something. She wondered if she should go look for the Tardis, but she couldn't just leave him.

She froze as an unfamiliar sound broke the silence around her. She whipped her head around. _Oh crap,_ she thought, fear and panic seeping into her bones. Not too far away, just within her sight, up near the mist-shrouded rocks there was a hourd of cybermen. Her breathing became ragged.

"Doctor," she hissed, not wanting to be heard by the enemy. "Doctor, you have to wake up! Please, please wake up!"

This was so _not_ the time to discover why this place was called, The Death Zone. She looked up again at the group of aliens. They were cybermen, but they seemed to be a much earlier model. They didn't look as intimidating as the ones she had encountered before but she was sure they just just as deadly. They were coming closer. She put her face close to the Doctor's and whispered fearfully.

"Doctor!"

If the cybermen hadn't already seen her, they would in a very short period of time. She dared take a glance over in their direction again. They were coming closer. Much closer. They were headed directly towards her and the unconcious Timelord.

**Oooooh cliffhanger;) Review to let me know what you think :D Hopefully have another update soon :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Soo here's the fourth chapter :D Hope I'm making you guys ship this couple because I reallllly ship 'em :D Welll enjoy this chapter and pleaaaase review to let me know what you think!**

Clara's heart was in her mouth. The cybermen were quickening their pace, headed right for them. _Come on, Doctor_, she willed him silently. She tried grabbing one of his arms to drag him behind one of the many jagged rocks that scattered the landscape for some sort of safety. No, it was no use, she didn't have the strength left in her and the Doctor was a dead weight. She glanced over at the robots again. They had seen her. She placed herself in front of the Doctor, shielding him from their view. She had to protect him, even if it was futile. She knew he'd do the same for her in a heartbeat.

"The travellers of the Tardis have arrived," The robot announced to the rest of the group in its mechanical voice. "The human is a companion of the Doctor."

The cyberman stepped closer to address her. "You will hand over the Timelord, or you will be destroyed."

Clara's voice caught in her throat. What was she supposed to say? She didn't want to die out here but she sure as hell wasn't letting them take her Doctor. When had she started referring to him as her Doctor? Not the time, Clara, she thought to herself scoldingly.

"No!" she cried, wincing at how feeble her voice sounded. She tried again, her voice stronger this time. "No, you're not taking him."

"Stand aside, human!" She tried to ignore the feeling of dread inside her as the cyberman pointed a weapon at her. _Well done, Clara. Now you're both going to die._

She tried to think of something to say, to stall them, to do something, anything, but her mouth was dry and she couldn't form words. She swallowed, looking around for some sort of weapon. Nothing. This really was the worst place they could've come to. The cybermen were clearly getting impatient and she began to panic.

"Brave heart, Clara."

Clara jumped with a start at the Doctor's voice. Those three word's were fast becoming her favourite phrase to hear.

"Doctor!" She gasped. He was still lying on the ground, eyes closed, unmoving. She desperately hoped he had some sort of mad plan to get them out of this mess.

"What are we going to do?" She hissed in a hurried whisper, trying and failing to not let the fear seep into her voice.

"Go along with it," Was the whispered reply and she was surprised when the Doctor unexpectedly hopped up from his position on the ground, seemingly right as rain.

"Ah, yes, my most loyal fans it is," He stated cheerily, sarcasm lacing his tone as he looked at the cybermen. "What's brought you lot here this fine day?"

"We have been looking for you since the Master informed us of your arrival," The Doctor's brow furrowed in confusion at the reply.

"I'm sorry, did you say the Master?"

"Come with us, Doctor, and we might spare the life of your companion."

Clara set her jaw defiantly. She felt a lot braver now with the doctor up and running again and knowing that he had a plan, however crazy it might be, made her feel a lot better about the situation.

"Well, we better hop to it then," The Doctor relented.

Clara stayed close by the Doctor's side as they were marched across the unwelcoming land.

"So, this plan of yours, Doc?"

"All in good time, Clara," The Doctor gave her a sly mischievous smile and tapped the side of his nose. "All in good time."

Clara cracked a smile. "You're just making this up as you go along aren't you?"

The Doctor stared at her in mock hurt. "I told you I had a plan didn't I? Have a little faith!" He paused. "But yes I do tend to make it up as I go along."

Clara fought back a laugh. The Doctor had a knack for making her feel better. She could already see the Tardis in the distance. She was eager to reach it, being surrounded by cybermen wasn't really her idea of fun. The Doctor's arm brushed against hers lightly and a jolt of electricity went through her. The moment passed and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Why did he have this effect on her? The Doctor she had travelled with before, the eleventh Doctor, he'd never made her feel like this. Come to think of it, no one had ever made her feel like this. She didn't even know what _this_ was, didn't know how she was feeling. She had never really been in a serious relationship with anyone before, she just hadn't met anyone who she wanted to. Sure, she'd had some crushes but nothing really ever happened. And she'd never felt anything like this. She didn't quite know what the feeling she had was yet, but she decided to push it to the back of her mind. There were more pressing matters at hand right now.

They had reached the Tardis. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or apprehensive. She glanced at the Doctor's face. It was neutral, expressionless. She wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. She subconciously pressed closer to him, not enjoying the presence of the cybermen so close to her.

"Open the Tardis, Timelord."

The Doctor walked forward and pushed the Tardis doors open with ease.

"Well, it's not that hard once you know how to open a simple door."

Clara once again had to swallow her laughter. She followed the Doctor into the Tardis, followed by the leader of the cybermen group. The rest of the robots had been ordered to stand guard outside the ship. The doors closed behind them.

"You will pilot this ship, Doctor, and give us the information the Master wants." The cyberman was pointing a weapon at the Doctor, who looked unfazed, if a little confused.

"You're working for the Master? Surely you know you can't trust him."

"What he has offered us is worth the risk of trusting an alien."

"Oh, and what's that then?"

"Show me how to pilot the Tardis, Doctor! You have no chance against us. We have the Master and his other selves. What have you but a puny human and a fading timestream!"

The Doctor blanched. He looked about to say something but Clara never found out what as she felt a sudden pain shoot throught her arm. The cyberman had a hold on her. She screamed as the electricty coursed through her arm and around her body.

"Your human will die Doctor, and then you'll have nothing left!"

"Let her go!" The Doctor raced to Clara's side and grabbed the cyberman's arm, yanking it away from her, allowing it to latch onto him instead. He winced at the pain from the cyberman's touch as it grabbed him with both lethal metal arms. Clara clutched her own arm and stumbled out of the way. The Doctor grimaced with the pain and pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, pointing it at the robot. A buzzing sound was heard and the cyberman wheezed and released the Doctor.

"Aha-ah!" The Doctor exclaimed, half triumph, half pain as the cyberman crumpled to the floor. He shook his arms out as if to get rid of the lingering pain.

"Clara, are you alright?" He stumbled over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes roaming over her to make sure she was ok. Clara nodded mutely. She still felt numb. The pain had gone from her arm but it still tingled slightly, an unhappy reminder of what had just happened.

"Th- Thank you, Doctor," she said breathlessly. "You didn't have to do that you know, putting yourself in danger for me. I would have been just fine!" She felt guilty. After all, he wouldn't have had to go through that pain if it wasn't for her.

"Nonsense, Clara. It's fine, I'm fine, Timelord's have a much better pain threshold than humans anyway."

"Thank you," she said again, more sincerly this time. She looked to the cyberman, the smile slipping from her face. "Did you..?"

"Kill it? No, don't worry I just.. Momentarily paralysed it." The Doctor said, flapping his arms about trying to explain.

He dropped to the ground beside the fallen cyberman and took out his sonic screwdriver.

"Now..." he muttered to himself in concentration and began dismantling the robot's head. Clara crouched down beside him to get a better look.

"What are you doing exactly? If one of those cybermen come in and find you putting their leaders head where his arms should be I don't think they're going to be very happy with us!"

She watched as the Doctor's tongue poked out from between his teeth in concentration.

"That should do it.." he muttered again and pulled back, the cyberman's head back in place. "Ah yes, well I was just reprogramming the system." He looked up at her with a happy smile.

"So.. We can make it do whatever we want?"

"Presicely! Well done, Clara, you catch on fast." He winked at her and she folded her arms and stuck out her tongue at him.

"Right.." Another buzz of the sonic screwdriver and the cyberman was back on it's feet. "Ok, you can go back to your friends and tell them that the Tardis is not to be touched. And while you're at it, would you mind telling me why you're working with the Master and what he wants from us?" The Doctor asked in a light-hearted tone but with a grim smile on his smile.

"I do not understand what you are referring to by the name, "Master"."

"_The Master._ Timelord like me. The one you mentioned earlier?"

"I do not understand what you are referring to by the name, "Master"."

The Doctor swore in Gallifreyan.

"I do not understa-"

"Oh shut up!" He threw his hands up exasperatedly and turned to Clara. "I, er, may have reset it a bit too much. Now it's forgotten why it's here."

"Reset it too much.." Clara shook her head in disbelief. "But on the brightside, it will still tell it's cyber buddies to leave us alone right?"

"Right. Well, go on then," He motioned to the cyberman to leave and it did so. The Doctor quickly shut the doors behind it. He walked slowly over to a couch and sat down with a sigh. Clara moved to sit next to him. She noticed he suddenly looked very tired.

"Wish I could've got more information out of it," He sighed. "He mentioned the Master's other selves..."

The Doctor had gone pale. Clara knew this wasn't a good sign.

"This Master bloke... He's an enemy right?"

"My very best. Enemy, that is."

"Right... And he's a Timelord too?"

"Yes, and from what I gather he has found a way to meet up with his past regenerations. Join forces with them. Which is not good by the way, not good at all."

Clara paused. Maybe they were in more trouble than she realised. The Doctor was looking troubled. He got up from his sitting position and began pacing.

"This is like before. Only the last time it was me finding my other selves, not the Master, which makes this whole situation a hundred times more dangerous. And fading timestreams? Well that would explain the cosmic angst, maybe he's draining my other selves..." The Doctor banged his fist down on the Tardis console in annoyance, startling Clara. The ship gave an unimpressed hum. The Doctor sighed again, looking exhausted.

"This is confusing stuff, Clara Oswald." He muttered, running a hand through his hair absent-mindedly. Clara liked his hair. It was just the length that she liked, a nice blond colour, well groomed...

"Doctor?" She questioned in concern as the Doctor suddenly looked very faint, holding onto the console for support. She went over to him cautiously. He didn't seem to be in pain this time at least. He offered her a weak smile.

"I'm alright. I'm just tired. This.. Whatever it is the Master is doing.. It's draining me."

He looked fit to pass out.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to sleep then?" She smirked.

"Yes.. Good idea. Here seems about fine." He sank to the floor slowly, closing his eyes.

"Hey, no, not a good idea! You need some proper rest, and you're not going to get that by sleeping on the Tardis floor."

She attempted to pull him up. He groaned in annoyance but obliged grudgingly. He looked like he could collapse at any minute. She hoped all this wasn't because of her. She didn't want this to be her fault, all that he was having to go through. She helped support his weight as they walked from the control room through to the other rooms in the Tardis. Thankfully, the first door she tried was the right one. The Tardis obviously thought the Doctor needed some rest too.

The room was plain enough and looked like a simple bedroom. She guessed it was one of the many spare rooms in the Tardis. She hauled the Doctor towards the big double bed in the middle of the room and he staggered towards it, collapsing onto it with a soft "oompf" sound. He rolled into a more comfortable position on the bed.

"Bloody cosmic..." He muttered to himself. Clara wasn't sure if she should stay or go. She was worried that he might be in pain again. She didn't think there was anything she could do to help him if he was but being there would be better than nothing. She felt indecisive. Just as she was about to turn away, his hand closed gently around her wrist.

"Clara.." he whispered, eyes beginning to flutter closed. "Stay.."

She nodded in slight surprise. He still had a hold on her so she lowered herself onto the bed beside him and lay down. He pulled her closer to him. She wondered if he was he acting like this on account of his exhaustion or was he doing this because he really needed her. She found herself hoping it was because he needed her and wanted her there as she snuggled into his chest. His arms wrapped around her lazily and he yawned. She closed her fist around a piece of his jacket, not wanting to be away from him even though their bodies were already pressed closely together. She felt the Doctor let out a contented sigh and she smiled as his breathing deepened, letting her know that he had found sleep. She felt more content than she ever had before and tried to fight sleep for as long as she could, wanting to stay in this moment forever. As her heavy eyelids drifted shut, she knew that in the morning they would no doubt be facing danger again but she tried not to think about that for now. For now, she was happy.

**I like this chapter:D It's longer than usual :) Right, hoped you liked that one and hope it wasn't too confusing! Hopefully be another update in the next few days:D Review and tell me what you think, I love hearing from ye :) **


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